We’d also solidified our mating, having bitten each other several times during our sexual moments with Aflora. He was firmly inside me, just as much as I was inside him.
Which meant he could feel all my emotions, hear my concern, and understood the reasoning behind my words.
While the statements irritated him—his mind quickly telling me that he would never react without thinking through his actions first—he also appreciated my concern.
We’ll work together to bring him back, I promised him. We’ll help your dad, too. And I’m sure your mom is okay, just locked up somewhere.
He grimaced.
We’re going to save them, I reiterated, ensuring he heard me.
I know, he replied after a beat, his glare softening to display a measure of understanding before his focus shifted to Aflora. His mind fought for a change in subject, his need for a distraction clear as he whispered, That cloak is radiating dark energy.
Yes.I could feel it beneath my fingertips.
Zakkai seemed equally enthralled by it, his palms roaming over the fabric in a similar way to mine moments ago. “This is a gift from the source,” he marveled.
“Yes,” my grandmother agreed, reminding us all of her presence. “And I have the matching staff.”
We all looked at her. “Matching staff?” I repeated.
She merely smiled, then cocked her head. “Come. Breakfast is almost ready.”
“Cookies?” I asked warily.
“Eggs,” she replied. “And blood shakes. Aflora will need one soon. As will Ella.”
“Will Lucifer be okay with her presence here?” Zakkai wondered out loud, voicing a concern I hadn’t considered.
My grandmother’s blue eyes sparkled knowingly as she glanced at him. “Yes, Kai. I cleared it with him already.”
“Have you cleared anything else with him?” he pressed.
She blinked. “Why? Do you sense something?”
He didn’t reply, just stared at her.
She studied him for a long moment, then turned toward the trees without another word.
His jaw ticked in reply. “She’s not telling us something.”
“Welcome to my world,” I muttered.
“You mean, other people keep secrets from you?” Zeph asked, feigning a note of shock. “How horrible for you. I have no idea how that feels.” The sarcasm in his tone made me snort.
“Where are we?” Ella’s soft tones drew our focus to her. She hadn’t moved away from the ground, her pale features marred by tears. But she seemed to have stopped crying for now, her attention distracted by the meadow around us and the rising sun.
“A paradigm within the Hell Fae Realm,” Aflora replied. She pulled away from me and Zakkai to look at Ella. “And I’ll get Tray back for you. Soon.” She sounded so regal and confident, the Dark Source swarming around her in a free abandon.
I glanced at Zakkai and then Kols. Both of them were studying her cloak again.
Zakkai spoke first. “You accepted the Dark Source, passing your third trial.”
“Yes,” she confirmed. “But I’m still the Earth Fae Queen, too.”
“Because you taught the sources how to play nicely together,” Zakkai said, appreciation evident in his tone and features. “It’s beautiful, Aflora.” He stepped toward her again, his palm returning to her face as he tipped her head back for a kiss. “You’re stunning.”
She returned his embrace, her power flowing openly through all our bonds.